Need IP/dome/PTZ with heater for a cattle ranch in Northern Colorado

monstor

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I have a client near Ft. Collins, CO that I inherited 2 years ago from a friend. Part of that inheritance was the expectation of low prices for cameras set when my friend ordered all Foscam devices for the project in 2013.

Nayr - this is just North of your stomping ground, your input is greatly appreciated. I'm up in Westminster.

This is a cattle ranch. Most of the cameras are in a barn or under the covered runs in back of the barn. The cameras are used to observe the animals, from the comfort of the house, during calving cycles.
There are 5 PTZ domes for inside, 4 bullets and two FI8919W PTZ domes outside. So far I have replaced all 3 FI8919Ws(had reboot issue and convinced Foscam to replace the 2 active plus the unopened spare under warranty) and 3 of the 4 bullets when they just stopped working. I pitched a complete rebuild last year, but the client just wanted to fix things when they break. I've managed to improve the setup with upgrades to switches, WAPs, and power protection (Thank you summer storms) and hard wiring most cameras. They now have a dedicated NVR (the Dell Inspiron 1.6 GHz tablet with 4GB RAM and BI3 was not even usable). So this setup may one day be good, but not great. It's progressing in tiny steps.

In order to provide coverage of a paddock which my client recently started using, I installed the spare FI8919W on a pole 12' off the ground in the middle of a pasture. and it is serviced by an outdoor WAP. It works well for what it is, but it has iced over 3 times when there was icy fog and blowing snow. That has created issues for me and my client (11:00pm calls to me about not being able to observe calving heifers because the camera was just showing white). My client then asked me to "get the same thing" on another pole in another pasture. I made the pitch for spending more money on a camera with a heater, but I am not sure what to use.

I got sticker shock from Dahua at first (I'm learning) so I tried a unit from Arecont Vision with a dome & heater - the AV5255PMIR-SH. Their sales and service were great, the image quality was great, but the cam had a fixed sensor with digital PTZ and I needed real PTZ with ~300 deg of horizontal pan. So I am returning the unit. The sales rep and I weren't quite on the same page. I have one of their AV12275DN-28 - SurroundVideo Omni G2 units coming as a demo, but it is out of the budget for this project.

So I'm back to Dahua, maybe Hikvision.
I _need_ a cam that is better than the FI8919W, has 40m IR range, ability to defrost/defog, >=300 deg horz pan, 90 deg vertical pan. I have Ubiquity WAPs and power is not a problem.
When looking at Dahua and Hikvision, how can I tell which units have heaters?
If I am concerned about ice, do I need to use an enclosed dome, or will one of the Lite Black Face PTZ cams(SD49225T-HN) do OK when blowing snow/ice would render the Foscam unit useless?

Thanks everyone.
 
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nayr

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hate to break it to you man but heaters wont do jack shit for your ice/snow problem..

even a wiper wont help, it'll just freeze up too.. mebe if you take a black face PTZ and park it looking at ground below it in poor conditions so the lens will be clear for looking about from time to time.. building a roof over top of it might not be a bad idea but cant leave it parked looking into the wind
 

monstor

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hate to break it to you man but heaters wont do jack shit for your ice/snow problem..

even a wiper wont help, it'll just freeze up too.. mebe if you take a black face PTZ and park it looking at ground below it in poor conditions so the lens will be clear for looking about from time to time.. building a roof over top of it might not be a bad idea but cant leave it parked looking into the wind
Thanks, Nayr. I owe you a beer or something. I'll educate my client on the ice issue and then try the Dahua SD49225T-HN or the Huisun HS-RGC205FIT-KS20IA with a roof/cover dome approach. Maybe something shaped like the attached photo. Laughter is welcome. I know about your recent admonishments on Huisun, but I'll take my chances. I think they are still better than Foscam.
 

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looney2ns

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Thanks, Nayr. I owe you a beer or something. I'll educate my client on the ice issue and then try the Dahua SD49225T-HN or the Huisun HS-RGC205FIT-KS20IA with a roof/cover dome approach. Maybe something shaped like the attached photo. Laughter is welcome. I know about your recent admonishments on Huisun, but I'll take my chances. I think they are still better than Foscam.
If you want stuff that works, stick with Dahua Starlight cams. Buy it from Aliexpress and save the sticker shock.

I think the owner will have to build a fair sized roof cover, say 10x10' or bigger to have a chance in hell of keeping blowing snow and freezing rain off it. And like Nayr suggested, set the cam up to point down after so many minutes of inactivity.

Buy the Huisun if you really enjoy calls in the middle of the night. ;)
 

hmjgriffon

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Perhaps you can put in inside of a hamster ball, or I dunno, build a plexiglass box around it lol
 

nayr

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tha'd just be a dome camera and back to caking up with shit regardless where its pointed.
 

nayr

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Ive parked my black face PTZ down at the ground in a blizzard and had no problem looking about once the snow relented... worst I had was I got enough ice/snow packed in the mechanisms that a belt slipped and it lost orientation.. found an option in WebUI to do just a PTZ Init which recalibrate it and everything went back to normal, but I left it alone until the storm passed.. Onboard IR at night with a bunch of snow blowing about cant see shit anyhow.

but at same time I've forgotten to point it at ground and woken up to every one of my cameras whited out except the front door camera, that one has about 3ft of protection from above and a wall behind it.. luckily I can reach the big PTZ from my bedroom window w/a broom if it comes to it.. for security purposes the chances of anything crime related happening in the middle of a blizzard are pretty much null.
 
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monstor

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Looks like I get to put a decent cam on the existing pole to replace the Foscam that is dying a painful and slow death (rightfully so). FPS goes to near 0 when you pan it, or just disconnects and reconnects a few seconds later, especially in low light and when IR is on.
I sold my client on spending $350 for the Dahua SD49225T-HN and ordered it from AliExpress. Also got a few Ubiquity POE injectors (802.3af & 802.3at) for this cam and the Arecont Visions I am testing. I have Ubiquity Nanostation locoM5 units and mounting arms ready to go. Deploying a UPS to the utility pole is not feasible, so I am looking for a beefy surge protector that stands a chance of protecting the WiFI, POE & Cam devices if the ground and surrounding structure/wiring are energized by a strike. A direct hit means my client gets to file an insurance claim and I get to redo it all. I found these 300 Joule 4-plug Isobar devices from Tripp-Lite: Isobar 4 Outlet Surge Protector 6 ft Cord 3300 Joules Diagnostic LEDs (ISOBAR4ULTRA) | Tripp Lite Does anyone use anything similar or have any thoughts on the strength of the protection form these types of devices that has not been said back in 2015 and 2014?

I'll wrap up all the plugs & injectors in a Millbank Works screw cover box mounted on the same pole. Anyone use other brands of NEMA 3R enclosure boxes? Any recommendations?
 

monstor

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Ive parked my black face PTZ down at the ground in a blizzard and had no problem looking about once the snow relented... worst I had was I got enough ice/snow packed in the mechanisms that a belt slipped and it lost orientation.. found an option in WebUI to do just a PTZ Init which recalibrate it and everything went back to normal, but I left it alone until the storm passed.. Onboard IR at night with a bunch of snow blowing about cant see shit anyhow.

but at same time I've forgotten to point it at ground and woken up to every one of my cameras whited out except the front door camera, that one has about 3ft of protection from above and a wall behind it.. luckily I can reach the big PTZ from my bedroom window w/a broom if it comes to it.. for security purposes the chances of anything crime related happening in the middle of a blizzard are pretty much null.
Thanks, nayr. BTW - you know anyone up near Longmont/Ft Collins doing cams that might want to adopt this client?
 

nayr

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given the way you've described the client; no that would be just turn friends into enemies :p

not that they could afford anyone I know in the industry..
 

looney2ns

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Looks like I get to put a decent cam on the existing pole to replace the Foscam that is dying a painful and slow death (rightfully so). FPS goes to near 0 when you pan it, or just disconnects and reconnects a few seconds later, especially in low light and when IR is on.
I sold my client on spending $350 for the Dahua SD49225T-HN and ordered it from AliExpress. Also got a few Ubiquity POE injectors (802.3af & 802.3at) for this cam and the Arecont Visions I am testing. I have Ubiquity Nanostation locoM5 units and mounting arms ready to go. Deploying a UPS to the utility pole is not feasible, so I am looking for a beefy surge protector that stands a chance of protecting the WiFI, POE & Cam devices if the ground and surrounding structure/wiring are energized by a strike. A direct hit means my client gets to file an insurance claim and I get to redo it all. I found these 300 Joule 4-plug Isobar devices from Tripp-Lite: Isobar 4 Outlet Surge Protector 6 ft Cord 3300 Joules Diagnostic LEDs (ISOBAR4ULTRA) | Tripp Lite Does anyone use anything similar or have any thoughts on the strength of the protection form these types of devices that has not been said back in 2015 and 2014?

I'll wrap up all the plugs & injectors in a Millbank Works screw cover box mounted on the same pole. Anyone use other brands of NEMA 3R enclosure boxes? Any recommendations?
I've used several of the Isobar surge protectors over the years in a very lightning prone area. I think I've had one sacrifice itself, but the connected equipment survived. I also had one Isobar that had telephone line protection included. Tripp Lite sent me replacements for the telephone section, numerous times. But never had any phone equipment damaged.

I started using these after having a wall mounted phone blown off the wall, and some other equipment damaged during a storm. I've also used these with success. Isobar 2 Outlet Surge Protector Direct Plug in 1410 Joules 3 Diagnostic LEDS 4 in Height (ISOBLOK2-0) | Tripp Lite
 

monstor

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I've used several of the Isobar surge protectors over the years in a very lightning prone area. I think I've had one sacrifice itself, but the connected equipment survived. I also had one Isobar that had telephone line protection included. Tripp Lite sent me replacements for the telephone section, numerous times. But never had any phone equipment damaged.

I started using these after having a wall mounted phone blown off the wall, and some other equipment damaged during a storm. I've also used these with success. Isobar 2 Outlet Surge Protector Direct Plug in 1410 Joules 3 Diagnostic LEDS 4 in Height (ISOBLOK2-0) | Tripp Lite
Awww. It's so cute. I have an immediate application for one of those two plug units. Cool! Thanks.
 

monstor

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given the way you've described the client; no that would be just turn friends into enemies :p

not that they could afford anyone I know in the industry..
I don't think the money is an issue, just the expectation of what needs to be spent. I am working on that.
Since you're close by, could I hire you for an hour for some simple and specific advice? Please PM me with a response.
 
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